It’s an odd thing for most people to reconcile, but you need to master both the flexible and rigid aspects of the life plan. In order to unleash the power of the life plan, you will need to rigidly perform everything you say is most important and say no to all the things that would detract from it. At the same time, you can change your life plan at any time, and you should do so regularly. Your life plan is a tool that you control to help you get more of what you want. It isn’t something you are enslaved by.
Don’t keep doing what you know does not work. Don’t allow yourself to be drawn into sunken cost—that you can’t change a path due to how much you’ve put into the path so far. Don’t stick to certain tasks just because that’s the way it was done before. Your goal is your goal, not what you previously thought would achieve it. Your goals themselves exist only to further your purpose, and should be replaced if and when life reveals they do not do this. You control your beliefs; your beliefs do not control you. Your allegiance to past understanding will net you nothing. You get to decide what qualities you will possess. You get to decide what brings you joy.
In general, when you are disappointed in your expectations, exert the effort to find something that yields what you want. When you find something that provides what you seek better than any other alternative, double down on it, and stick with it until or unless it shows its limits.
Always remember that your life plan is yours alone. You can edit your life plan any time and as much as you want. Your ability to make any change you choose is part of the remarkable power of this framework, the other component being the power afforded by being accountable to what you choose to include in it.
Composing a life plan is a naturally iterative process. Don’t stress yourself about making it perfect. It could easily be years after adopting this framework before your purpose begins to maintain one form for a prolonged period of time. Tremendous benefits are available to you even while your life plan is in flux. It is far better to do more and better through executing an imperfect life plan than it is to persist without improvement while you endlessly work on designing what you believe will be a perfect life plan.
Don’t be discouraged when you perceive that it needs to be changed. If anything, be worried when it has been too long since you edited your plan. Every single change reflects learning and improvement, and the lack thereof might indicate you need to pay closer attention to or seek more of the feedback life provides you with. You’ll find that living what is on the sheet has a way of providing sufficient guidance for what to change and when. Change your plan when you have reason to, but don’t change your plan unless there has been a material change in the information upon which your plan is based. Remember, it’s a contract.